Luminaire



June 11, 1968 s. BALDWIN LUMINAIRE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 16, 1966June 11, 1968 s. L. BALDWIN LUMINAIRE 3 Sheets-Sheet 52 Filed Feb. 16,1966 o THE-7 5' June 11, 1968 s. L. BALDWIN LUMINAIRE 5 Sheets-Sheet 5Filed Feb. 16, 1966 United States Patent 3,387,866 LUMINAIRE Samuel L.Baldwin, Flat Rock, N.C., assignor to General Electric Company, acorporation of New York Filed Feb. 16, 1966, Ser. No. 527,695 Claims.(Cl. 285-184) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Luminaire with adjustablemounting means for securing the luminaire to a pipe support comprises anelongated luminaire housing and adjustable slipfitter means arrangednear the rear end of the housing comprising first arcuate bearing on thehousing arranged symmetrical about an axis transverse the longitudinalaxis of the housing, a second bearing adjustably secured to the firstbearing for movement relative thereto to selected posi tioned along anarcuate path about the transverse axis, the second bearing having anupper surface portion engaging the first arcuate bearing and lowersurface portion engageable with one side of the pipe support, andclamping means adjustably secured to the housing independent of thesecond bearing and engageable with the opposite side of the pipe supportfor clamping the housing to the pipe support, the clamping means beingoperable from either inside or outside the housing.

tractor are assembled at the front end, and a mounting a device called aslipfitter is located at the rear end for receiving a generallyhorizontal pipe support to which the slipfitter is clamped foradjustably mounting the luminaire. The slipfitters of known types ofluminaires have had certain disadvantages, such as being relativelycumbersome in construction, having a multiplicity of parts, beingdifficult to adjust and to readily adapt for mounting on different sizesof pipe supports, and having other drawbacks.

"It is an object of the invention to provide an improved luminaireslipfitter which is relatively simple in construction and has relativelyfew parts, is readily assembled, may accommodate various sizes of pipesupports, and is easily adjustable for arranging the luminaire indesired position on a supporting member such as a pipe or the like.

It is a particular object of the invention to provide a luminaireslipfitter of the above type which enables adjustment of the luminaireabout the longitudinal axis of the pipe support and an axis traversethereto, and which can be adjusted from either outside or inside theluminaire housing, or from above or below the luminaire, while theluminaire is in operating position.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the followingdescription and the appended claims.

With the above objects in view, the present invention relates to aluminaire adapted to be mounted on a pipe support or the like, theluminaire comprising a housing having a longitudinal axis and front andrear ends, i1- luminating means near the front end of the housing, andadjustable slipfitter means arranged near the rear end of the housingcomprising a first arcuate bearin g means fixed to the housing andsymmetrical about an axis transverse the longitudinal axis, a secondbearing means adjustably secured to the first bearing means foradjustment relative thereto to selected positions along an arcuate pathabout the transverse axis, the second bearing means having a 3,387,855Patented June 11, 1968 surface portion engaging the first arcuatebearing means and an opposite surface portion engageable with one sideof the pipe support, and clamping means adjustably secured to thehousing and engageable with the opposite side of the pipe support forclamping the housing to the pipe support.

In a particular aspect of the invention, the clamping means has portionsboth outside and inside the housing by means of which it may bealternatively operated for adjustably positioning the luminaire housing.

The invention will be better understood from the following descriptiontaken in conjunction with the accompariying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side view in elevation, partly broken away, of a streetlighting luminaire in which the slipfitter mounting of the invention maybe embodied;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged detail view, partly in section, of theadjustable sl-ipfitter mounting of the invention;

FIGURE 3 is a view similar to that of FIGURE 2 showing the slipfittermounting adjusted to a different position;

FIGURE 4 is a cross sectional view of the slipfitter mounting takenalong the line 44 in FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary view of a portion of the slipfitter clampingmeans shown in FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of a fixed portion of the slipfittermounting arrangement; and

FIGURE 7 is a perspective view of the movable hearing means which isadapted to be adjustably secured to the fixed slipfitter bearing portionshown in FIGURE 6.

Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to FIGURE 1, there isshown a street lighting luminaire comprising an upper housing 1 in whichis located refiector 1t) and lamp 1.1 and which is closed on its bottomat the front by a refractor 2 and at the rear by door 3. In theparticular form of luminaire illustrated, the refractor 2 is mounted inan annular frame member 4 hingedly connected at its rear portion tohousing 1 by means not shown, and rear bottom door 3 is hingedlyconnected to the rear end of housing 1 (see also FIGURE 2) so as to beswingable downwardly to the position shown in interrupted lines inFIGURE 1. With door 3 in its open position, access is readily had to therear interior portion of housing 1 and the slipfitter parts therein asshown in FIGURE 2. The front end of door 3 is releasably attachable tohousing 1 by suitable means (not shown) to retain the door in closedposition. It will be understood that the slipfitter mounting arrangementdescribed hereinafter may be embodied in other types of luminaires orlighting fixtures having constructions different from that shown inFIGURE 1.

Housing 1 of the FIGURE 1 luminaire has an opening at its rear end forreceiving an elongated support member 5, such as a tubular bracket orpipe, which may extend generally horizontally from a pole or othervertical support, and on which the luminaire is mounted by means of theslipfitter mounting 6 of the invention. The latter provides foradjustment of luminaire housing 1 about its longitudinal axis (whichextends along the longitudinal axis of pipe support '5) and about atransverse axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, as more fullydescribed below.

As shown in FIGURES 2 and 6, the slipfitter device includes a fixedbearing portion 7 which is integral with or secured to the underside ofhousing 1 and which is formed along its length with a pair of spacedarcuate concave bearing surfaces 8 and 9 which are formed with teeth orserrations as shown, or other surface friction means. Associated withfixed bearing 7 is a movable bearing member 12 (see FIGURE 7) formedalong its length with a pair of spaced arcuate convex bearing surfaces18 and 19 which are complementary to and engageable with surfaces 8 and9 of fixed bearing 7, surfaces 18 and 19 also being provided with teethor other friction means. Movable bearing 12 is secured in slidablerelation to fixed bearing 7 by means of screw 22 passing through slot 23in bearing 12 and threadably engaging boss 24 of housing 1. As seen inFIGURE 4, screw 22 has a flange 22a which is wider than slot 23 andserves to retain bearing 12 in loose assembly with hearing 7. Boss 24projects into slot 23 and is of sufficient length that when screw 22 isfully tightened therein with its head engaging the bottom end of boss24, movable bearing 12 is still only loosely assembled to fixed bearing7 prior to being clamped to pipe support and may be moved relativethereto along an arcuate path having its center on the aforementionedtraverse axis.

Bearing portion 7 is formed with retaining side rails or flanges 25, 26which extend along its outer margins and between which movable bearingmember 12 is retained with its outer edges in slidable engagement withthe inner surfaces of rails 25, 26 (see FIGURE 4). Bearing member 12 isfurther provided with depending stop portions 27 at its front endagainst which pipe bracket 5 abuts to limit the extent of insertion ofthe latter into the luminaire housing. The underside of bearing member12 is curved in the transverse direction as shown in FIG- URE 4 to comeinto contact with a substantial portion of the curved surface of pipebracket 5.

Yoke member 28 engages pipe bracket 5 at its lower side generallyopposite the central portion of movable bearing member 12, and it isadjustably secured to housing 1 by means of a pair of threaded bolts 30,3]. which engage threaded apertures at opposite ends of yoke member 28.The upper portions of bolts 30, 31 pass through elongated channels inbosses 32, 33 of housing 1, the bolts having heads 30a, 31a engaging theouter edges of bosses 32 and 33, respectively, which open at the top ofhousing 1. At their bottom ends below yoke member 28, bolts 30, 31 areformed with splined portions on which nuts 30b, 3111 are force-fitted.Yoke member 28 may thus be adjusted toward and away from pipe bracket 5for clamping or releasing the latter by means either of exterior heads30a, 31a or interior nuts 30b, 31b. Such adjustability of yoke member 28also permits the accommodation of pipe brackets of various diameters. Asseen in FIGURE 2, yoke member 28 has a cross-section of inverted U-shapeand is formed with a central concave portion for engaging the undersideof pipe bracket 5 (see FIGURE 4). At its opposite ends, yoke member 28is formed with tabs 28a, 28b which project into and ride along verticalslots 34a, 35a respectively in bosses 34, 35 integral with housing 1(see FIGURE 5), whereby yoke member 28 is guided in vertical movementduring its adjustment by bolts 30, 31 and is prevented from shiftingalong the longitudinal axis of the luminaire. When clamped against pipebracket 5 and tightened, yoke member 28 urges pipe bracket 5, movablebearing 12 and fixed bearing 7 into tight engagement with one another asshown. in FIGURE 4. Such clamping action retains luminaire housing 1 inthe angular relation to pipe bracket 5 which is determined by theposition of movable bearing 12 relative to fixed hearing 7.

FIGURE 2 shows the relative position of luminaire housing 1 with respectto pipe bracket 5 where screw 22 is located about midway of the lengthof slot 23 in movable bearing 12. FIGURE 3 shows a different angularposition of luminaire housing 1 relative to pipe bracket 5 where screw22 is at the extreme rear end of slot 23. Such adjustment of luminairehousing 1 about the transverse axis, which coincides with the center ofcurvature of the arcuate bearing surfaces of bearings 7 and 12, providesfor tilting of the luminaire to project the light therefrom at differentdesired distances along its longitudinal axis, e.g., across the street.Adjustment of the luminaire may also be made about the longitudinal axisof pipe bracket 5,

4 after loosening yoke member 28, to provide for directing light atdesired angles laterally of the luminaire, e.g., along the street.

It will be understood, of course, that although bearing member 12 isreferred to herein as movable relative to fixed bearing 7, during theadjustment of luminaire housing 1 in the mounted assembly, bearingmember 12 remains stationary with pipe support 5, and luminaire housing1 together with its integral bearing portion 7 is movedv relative tohearing member 12.

In practice, the installed luminaire is adjusted by loosening yokemember 28, either by means of exterior bolt heads 30a, 31a at the top ofthe: luminaire, or by interior nuts 30b, 311; from below the luminaire,and as a result movable bearing 12 becomes disengaged from fixed hearing'7. Normally the center of gravity of the luminaire lies below thelongitudinal axis of pipe bracket 5 and therefore the luminaire does nottend to turn about the longitudinal axis of the pipe bracket 5 of itsown accord when yoke member 28 is loosened. The luminaire may then beadjusted about either the axis of pipe bracket 5 or the transverse axisof the arcuate bearing surfaces, or about both axes, to place theluminaire in the desired position relative to pipe support 5, and yokemember 28 is then tightly clamped to the latter to firmly hold theluminaire in the adjusted position.

The slipfitter clamping arrangement, as seen best in FIGURE 4, is suchthat it is adapted for mounting on pipe supports of various diameters,it being necessary merely to suitably adjust the spacing of yoke member28 relative to movable bearing 12 to receive the particular pipebracket. The use of adaptor parts such as necessary with certain knowntypes of slipfitter devices is thus dispensed with.

There .is thus provided in accordance with the invention an improvedluminaire slipfitter mounting device which is readily and economicallymanufactured, is adaptable to supports of various sizes, and is easilyadjustable from either inside or outside the luminaire for adjusting theluminaire about transverse and longitudinal axes to a desired position.

While the present invention has been described with reference toparticular embodiments thereof, it will be understood that numerousmodifications may be made by those skilled in the art without actuallydeparting from the scope of the invention. Therefore, the appendedclaims are intended to cover all such equivalent variations as comewithin the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates is:

1. A luminaire adapted to be mounted on an elongated support comprising,in combination, a housing having a first axis extending along thelongitudinal axis of the elongated support when said housing is mountedthereon, and adjustable slipfitter means arranged on said housing formounting the same on the elongated support and comprising first bearingmeans fixed to said housing, second hearing means adjustably secured tosaid first bearing means for adjustment relative thereto along anarcuate path about an axis transverse said first axis to a selectedposition, said second bearing means engageable on one side with saidfirst bearing means and on the opposite side with one side of theelongated support, and clamping means adjustably secured to said housingindependent of said second bearing means and engageable with theopposite side of the elongated support for clamping together the elongated support, said first bearing means and said second bearing meansfor holding said housing in adjusted position on the elongated support.

2. A luminaire as defined in claim 1, at least one of said first andsecond bearing means having an arcuate bearing surface adjacent theother of said bearing means.

3. A luminaire as defined in claim 1, said first and second bearingmeans having complementary arcuate hearing surfaces adjacent one anotherand concentric aboutsaid transverse axis.

4. A luminaire as defined in claim 3, said second bearin g means beingheld immovable relative to said first bearing means when said clampingmeans is tightly clamped to the elongated support, and being movablerelative thereto when said clamping means is loosened.

5. A luminaire as defined in claim 3, said clamping means including ayoke member and adjusting screw means extending through said housing andadjustably secured to said yoke member, said adjusting screw meanshaving heads at opposite ends respectively outside and inside saidhousing for alternative operation of said clamping means.

6. A luminaire as defined in claim 1, said clamping means includingadjusting means having a portion arranged outside said housing forexternal operation of said clamping means.

7. A luminaire as defined in claim 6, said adjusting means also having aportion arranged inside said housing for internal operation of saidclamping means.

8. A luminaire as defined in claim 1, said first bearing means having anarcuate bearing surface with its center of curvature on said transverseaxis, said second bearing means comprising a unitary member having anarcuate bearing surface on said one side concentric with said arouatebearing surface of said first bearing means, said opposite side thereofbeing curved about said first axis for engaging the elongated support,said unitary member having a slot arranged centrally thereof, andretaining means passing through said slot and secured to said housingfor loosely attaching said unitary member to said first hearing means.

9. A lumnaire as defined in claim 8, said clamping means comprising anelongated yoke member extending transversely of said first axis and apair of spaced adjusting screws, each screw passing through said housingand threadably secured to said yoke m mber adjacent each end thereof,said unitary bearing member lying between and spaced from said adjustingscrews.

1%. A luminaire as defined in claim 9, slot means arranged in saidhousing adjacent the opposite ends of said yoke member and extendingalong the path of movement of said yoke member during adjustmentthereof, said yoke member having portions at its opposite endsprojecting into and riding along said slot means.

References ited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,229,194- 1/ 1941 Sklarek 287-12X 2,301,230 11/1942 Smith 248-16 3,081,114 3/1963 Esty 287-12 3,094,2206/1963 Harling 240-52 X 3,184,199 5/1965 Clark et al 248-299 X 3,319,9825/1967 Schwartz 287-12 EDWARD C. ALLEN, Primary Examiner.

CARL W. TOMLIN, Examiner.

DAVE W. AROLA, Assistant Examiner.

